Hanging By A Moment
by Muzzy-Olorea
Summary: [MS] Jack and Co are presented with a case of ransom only this time it’s personal and there’s more at stake. Martin does the unthinkable and Sam’s forced to confront her feelings.
1. Unintended

**Hanging By A Moment**

**Jack and Co are presented with a case of ransom only this time it's personal and there's more at stake. Martin does the unthinkable and Sam's forced to confront her feelings. S/M**

**Chapter One: Unintended**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the F.B.I, I just dream about them but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssssssssss._**

**A/N- Another idea for a WaT fanfic that is begging to be written. It's going to be five Chapters long and it's kinda Action-y wherein lies the problem …… I don't write action well, in fact I usually avoid it so I'm just warning you …… p**

_Dedicated to:_

_All those who have helped increase my WaT obsession, for those who I obsess with and for those who keep me informed so I know about the show without watching it. _

"Well, I'm off now." Samantha Spade announced, poking her head round the door where Martin was working.

"Yeah, me too." Martin said, standing up and closing the files he had been working on. "Too much paperwork." he sighed, putting on his jacket and stuffing the files into his bag.

"Tell, me about it." Samantha said, pressing the button for the elevator. "It's been a long day."

"Do you always find it's hard not to get too involved with a case?" Martin asked, getting into the elevator and closing the doors.

Samantha thought about it, running a hand through her hair. "Sometimes. I mean Viv and Jack are usually quite good at distancing themselves but I get so caught up sometimes, you just want to help those people, find them alive you know."

"Yeah," he sighed.

They walked out of the elevator into the lobby, nodding to the security guards.

"Well, goodnight." Samantha said, as they waked out into the brisk cold air.

Martin hesitated. "Hey Sam, do you have time for a quick drink?" he asked.

Samantha turned to him apologetically. "Sorry, I'm meeting someone."

Martin nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. "Cool, well, I'll see you tomorrow then." he said lightly, turning and walking off.

Samantha stood there watching him go for a second. Maybe she was reading too much into it but he seemed really disappointed. She kinda wished that she hadn't made other plans now. "Martin?" she called. He stopped and turned. "Maybe next time?" He nodded and waved.

Sam smiled to herself. He was cute, attentive and a great guy. It was going to be hard sticking to her oath to never get involved with someone at work again. She walked away to the restaurant, her mind dwelling on thoughts of her co-worker.

Martin pulled up a stool up to the bar with a sigh. "Half a pint of Fosters please." he said.

"Here alone again Martin?" Tom the bartender said, coming up and handing him his drink.

"Looks like it." Martin said.

"Someone from work?" Tom questioned. Martin nodded. "Oooh a hot and feisty F.B.I agent, nice……… she's not a prude is she?"

"No, hot and feisty just about covers it." Martin said with a tired smile.

"So why haven't you two hooked up yet?"

"She's just not into me." Martin stated.

"Is it 'cos she's too professional to walk down that path?" Tom persisted, ignoring Martin.

Martin paused for a moment. "No, it's 'cos she's seeing someone else."

"Someone at work?"

"No, I don't know who he is. Sam and I don't really talk about that kinda stuff." Martin explained.

"Wait – Sam … Samantha Spade? That pretty blonde Agent that you came in here with to interview me about that missing girl?" Tom said with a grin. Martin nodded dully, he could see where this was going. Tom whistled. "Whooo, you're aiming high, brother." he exclaimed.

"Thanks." Martin said dryly, draining his glass and getting up. "You've _really _made me feel better."

As he walked out of the bar, a cold wind had got up and he pulled his coat closer around him as he hailed a cab. Maybe Samantha was too good for him, maybe he was just wasting his time. He sighed, he was going to go home, look over the files, get a take away and maybe watch a film. Sounded like a plan.

He got out of the taxi, paid his fare and wandered into the apartment lobby, getting his post from his pigeonhole. Nothing interesting, a few bills, a postcard from his sister and some junk mail.

"Mr Fitzerald." the receptionist called. Martin turned. "Got a package for you." he said.

Martin looked at the package. His name and address was scrawled on the paper like it was written in a hurry; there was no postmark. "When was this delivered?" he asked.

"About five minutes before you came in." the receptionist answered. "A motorbike pulled up and a man came in."

"Did you see what he looked like?" Martin questioned.

The receptionist shook his head. "He kept his helmet on – he seemed in a hurry though."

"Okay, thanks." Martin said, frowning.

"Is there a problem Sir?"

"No, I guess I'm just too suspicious for my own good." he smiled, walking to the elevator.

Martin walked into his apartment and switched on the lights. With his foot he shut the door, and dropping his bag and coat on a chair, he ripped open the package. A videotape fell out, no letter, no label. Martin picked it up and looked it over, something didn't feel right about this. He pushed it into his player, turned on the TV and sat down on the sofa.

At first there was nothing, just black then on the screen came a close up of a face of a man hooded and wearing a balaclava. The camera was wobbling a bit and Martin could vaguely hear the sound of cars driving. It was being filmed in the back of a truck. The hairs on the back of Martin's neck started to prick up, he hoped this was just a sick joke.

The man began to speak; he had a deep, growling voice, which Martin didn't recognise.

'Agent Fitzerald. We have something of yours here that we're willing to destroy unless you give us what we want. We have a proposition for you. You turn up, unarmed, at 44 Hudson Street at 8pm sharp and we'll discuss it there. Someone will be there to meet you on the doorstep. You tell no one about this, you bring no police, agents and if you even think about telling the rest of your team, she gets killed. We'll know. Gottit?' The man's eyes flashed dangerously then the camera jerked away, coming to rest on a woman being held down by another balaclavered man. She was struggling and managed to wave him off for a second. "Martin, don't come, it's a trap." she shouted at the screen before she was pinned down by the men. The screen faded to black.

"Oh my God Samantha." Martin cried, jumping to his feet.

**A/N- Comments and criticism appreciated. )**


	2. Falling Down

**Chapter Two: Falling Down**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the F.B.I, I just dream about them but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssssssssss._**

**A/N:- Okay, here's another chapter for you guys. Thanks for the lovely reviews.**

_Dedicated to:_

_Espiritu, Never2L8, Drama-freak-csim, Raspberry Muffin, Klutz101, Taintedpromises, Alli, TerribleFish, Jtsideout389, joy, Equestrianbabe, Tracy, Briana, Kaysa_

His first instinct was to grab his cell phone and call Jack but then he thought about what the kidnapper had said. He didn't know who these guys were, they could have means of tracing the call – I mean they had already managed to find out where he lived and had kidnapped an experienced F.B.I agent. He rubbed his head and took some deep breaths, trying desperately to think clearly. If he turned up on that step to negotiate with these people, they won. Besides what if it was a trap, like Sam had shouted, and they planned to lure him there and take him hostage too?

He looked at his watch. He had an hour. 'Right, think clearly.' he told himself. He itched to phone Jack and ask for advice. He never had to handle a case alone before but he knew phoning was a big risk. This man could have spies watching Jack, Danny and Vivian's movements.

Martin sat down and held his head in his hands. He needed to think, come up with a plan. He thought about the address. 44 Hudson Street. He needed to find out what sort of building it was. He got up and sat down at his PC, focussed. Martin typed in the address. It was a three-storey house. He zoomed in on the photo. Deserted. Half of the windows were boarded up – the wood used looked new – it was done recently, and obviously the builders had left before they had time to finish boarding up the rest. There was an alley to the side and a couple dozen trees out the back. The rest of the street was your normal suburban New York town. They must be holding her at this place. If they were just a small gang there was not many places they would be able to hide her, and this would be ideal. He printed off a map of the location and considered his options.

He could hide and shoot the man who opened up the door. No, that would never work. The gunshot would be heard by his accomplices and if they found him dead, they would kill their hostage for sure. That left the other option. It was risky and had a lot that could go wrong but it was the only choice.

Martin tore off his shirt and headed into his bedroom. He changed into a black sweater, black trousers and soft soled shoes. Then he grabbed his deployment belt, unlocked a drawer in his desk and took out two guns, a sharp knife and a torch which he clipped onto his belt. He took out his bag full of his climbing gear and slung it over his back, checking that he had everything, Martin headed towards the door, but then doubled back. He took the tape out of the recorder, put it back in its box and left it on the table. If things went wrong he wanted to make it easy for Jack to trace him.

Martin avoided the elevators and took the six flights of stairs down, exiting out of a fire exit at the back of the building. He was playing everything safe from now on. Thankfully there was a cab just passing and he hailed it.

"Drop me off at the corner of Hudson Street. Quickly." Martin said, getting in.

The driver, instead of pulling off, turned round and faced Martin, his eyes running over his big bag and the guns on his belt. "If you think I'm taking you anywhere mate, you've got another thing coming. Get out of this cab before I call the cops." he demanded.

Martin pulled out his I.D and showed him. "I'm with the F.B.I. Get moving."

The driver nodded. "Sorry Sir." and sped off double-quick.

Martin leant back in his seat and closed his eyes. He had never had so much at stake before. He was beyond scared. He kept replaying the video in his mind. Samantha. She had looked so scared. They had all dealt with this kind of thing before but never from a victim's perspective. If they even thought about laying a finger on her …………

"We're here, Sir." the cab driver said, pulling up. Martin shoved some cash in his direction and got out. He walked down the deserted alley. Everything was scarily quiet. He ran through the plan in his mind. It was now or never.

Martin scaled the fence and dropped down on the leaves on the other side. He took out his climbing gear and hid the bag in the bush. He examined the building. There were only three windows on this side, one on each floor. The bottom two were boarded up and completely dark but the top one was uncovered and he could make out a faint light. He worked out the odds. They keep her at the top of the building, to gain time for themselves if something should happen, they choose the one room with an unbarred window because it's next to the alley so no one could look in anyway and they would be able to see if any helicopters were hovering overhead …….

He swung his rope up and it caught on the roof tiles. He tried his weight. It had to hold, he didn't have time to set up a safety line. He hooked the carabiner onto his belt and leant back. This was the real test of his F.B.I training. Martin climbed up and up the wall, fading into the shadows – if anyone saw him from the road or alley, his game would be up. On levelling with the top window, he tightened the rope and waited there for a moment, hanging, regaining his nerve. He could feel the cold sweat dripping down his face. He edged across and put one hand on the window ledge. A pane was broken and he could hear some faint muttering. He moved closer and holding his breath he peered through the murky window.

It was a large room only lit by a dim lamp hanging on the other side of the room. There were two men in the middle of the room, one masked and one unmasked. The unmasked man was tall and lanky with sandy hair. His movements were nervous and jerky. He looked out of place, out of his death. They moved away, giving Martin a clear view to what they were standing over. Sam. She was tied to a chair, rope around her legs and arms with duck tape plastered over her mouth.

"Alright sweetheart?" the masked one said, leering at Samantha. "Bit too pretty to be working for the F.B.I don't you reckon Henry?"

Henry had been staring into space, twitching anxiously. "What, oh, yeah." he said absently.

"Well, I'm sure Charlie boy won't mind if I start." the masked man grinned, kneeling on the ground next to Samantha. She glared at him. He just laughed and started running his hands through her hair. "Too pretty for your own good." he muttered before reaching forward and running his tongue down her neck. Samantha squirmed and tried to scream but the ropes and tape were too tight.

Henry watched the scene and a sloppy grin came on his face. "Nice one Rob." he said.

Just then the door opened and a tall, well-built man came in, a balaclava hiding his face. "What's going on in here?" he said gruffly.

"Just having some fun." Henry answered, jerking his head towards Rob and Samantha.

Charles looked at Rob and Samantha for a moment then nodded. "Do what you like with her but don't remove the tape or the ropes. I'm not taking any risks with this bitch." he said, waving his gun at Rob. He pulled off his balaclava revealing a deceivingly handsome young man. He looked like a typical office-worker or actor and would have blended in with any crowd. "I'm going outside to wait for lover-boy now." he said to his comrades. Samantha tried to move in her chair. Charles saw this and grinned. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about him." Charles said to Sam, cupping her face in his hand. "I'm sure he'll do the noble thing and won't try and do something stupid. He'll turn up on time and than, well, we'll have double the hostages." he chuckled standing up. Rob and Henry joined in with the laughter as Charles left the room.

Martin watched all of this and he felt the urge to climb in there and get out his gun and start shooting. He felt sick to the stomach at the thought of what they were even thinking of doing to Samantha. He wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and edged along the wall, peering round the corner to get a view of the front door. True enough, Charles was waiting there, looking normal, puffing on a cigarette and checking his watch. Martin moved back to the window.

"I'm just going for a piss." Rob announced. "Look after her. No funny business." he said, leaving the room.

Martin got out one of his guns, he had hardly anytime to do this, and his hand shook with nervousness. He had to get this right.

Henry was leaning over Sam, trailing his tongue around her collarbone and slowly moving his hand up her leg. Martin aimed the gun at him through the broken pane of glass, his other hand holding onto the rope. He double checked his aim, took a deep breath and then pulled the trigger.

The tranquilliser dart went whistling through the air and hit Henry in the back of the thigh. He fell backwards, knocked out. Martin then moved rapidly and leant over to heave at the window. For a horrible moment he thought it wouldn't budge but he somehow found the strength from somewhere and it edged upwards. Unfastening himself from the rope, he climbed into the room and ran over to Sam. Her eyes went wide at the sight of him. He got out his army knife and hacked the ropes off of her and pulled the duck tape from her mouth.

"Martin …." she gasped. Martin quickly pushed his hand against her mouth and spoke quickly and quietly.

"We haven't got much time." he said, dragging her over to the window. "You go first. Climb down the rope. Quickly." he said helping her through the window. Sam nodded, got a grip on the rope and started climbing down.

Martin stepped back a bit, heard something move behind him but he didn't turn fast enough. Something hit him over the head and everything went black.

"So he did try something stupid." muttered Charles, dropping the baseball bat.

"What about the girl?" asked Rob. "Do we pull her back …?"

"Cut the rope." Charles said simply, handing him Martin's knife.

Rob grinned and leant out the window. "Goodbye sunshine." he said viciously, running the knife over the rope.

Samantha felt herself falling.

**A/N:- Dum dum dum. Find out what happens in the next chapter……….**


	3. Sober

**Chapter Three: Sober**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the F.B.I, I just dream about them but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssssssssss._**

**A/N:- Okay this is the 'explanation' chapter where everything is explained ….. or should be. Thanks for all the reviews guys. They make me happy and excited. Just like the signed photo I got from Mr Howard Shore through the post yesterday. /Fangirly mood. Oh and those following my dilemma where I still haven't seen an episode of WaT, well, I bought Season One with the money I don't have …… the rest of this fanfic was written pre-watching but hopefully any future stories will make more sense to both you and me!**

_Dedicated to:_

_Briana, SuperKelli15, Raspberry Muffin (LOL at super hero Marty!), Klutz101, Taintedpromises, TerribleFish (Enemies? Noooooo.), Alli, EquestrianBabe, Spooky Bibi, NightMage, Daisyduke947, Tracy, Liz, Drama-freak-csim_

Samantha tossed from side to side fitfully. "Martin." she muttered. "Noooo." she felt herself being pushed into the van and the camera on her, all the time the men mocking her. "Not Martin. Don't -" she moaned as they made the tape. She could feel their hands on her thigh, on her chest, on her neck and then she was falling ……………

"Sam, Sam, wake up."

"She's lucky - only a broken arm and some bruising to her back. Of course she'll be in shock."

"Sam, Sam, wake up."

Samantha opened her eyes tiredly. Everything was glaringly white for a minute before everything came into focus. She was in bed, in hospital. One arm was in plaster cast and the other arm was connected to a drip. Round her bed were three worried faces.

"Hey, how are you feeling? You're lucky that that lady and her husband saw you lying there." Jack said, holding himself back from asking the 'what happened' question.

Samantha blinked and stared at him for a moment, then at Vivian and then at Danny who was smiling at her encouragingly. Then she remembered. "Martin, where's Martin?" she asked hurriedly.

"Hey! Aren't we good enough for you?" smiled Danny.

Samantha seemed not to hear him. "Martin, Martin, where is he? Where is he?" she said, panicking and trying to sit up. Vivian and Jack looked worried.

"Two weeks ago you barely noticed his existence outside of work and now you-" Danny started.

Jack gave him a look.

"Jack, Jack, where's Martin?" Sam demanded, her voice agitated. Vivian held her hand and tried to get her to lie back down.

"Oh, I'm sure he'll be coming soon. We called his cell phone and left a message." Jack said.

This was exactly what Sam didn't want to hear. She got even more agitated, and Vivian actually had to physically restrain her from getting up or doing harm to herself. "Oh My God you haven't found him, haven't found him." she moaned. "Please … you need to go and help him. Now. MARTIN."

The three agents looked at each other alarmed.

Jack leant forward. "Samantha. I want you to tell me everything." he stated.

Martin clenched his teeth under the masking tape. He was in a truck being taken to some other location. So it hadn't worked but hopefully Sam had got away unharmed.

A face came up leering at him. "So, you tried to play the hero eh? Well, I got news for you. Agent Spade is probably lying crumpled up on the floor dead right now and you …. you are about to pay for your little heroics."

Martin's eyes widened. What did he mean about Sam? Was he just trying to scare him or had they done something to her? He barely had time to think about it before he got kneed in the stomach and a fist came speeding towards his face.

Samantha had tried to keep calm and tell the others the basics of what had happened. When she had finished she could tell how scared the other three were.

"The idiot." Jack swore. "What was he thinking! How did he possibly think he could play the hero and pull it off? Dammit." he said, standing up, angry.

"Well, I'm guessing he just acted on his reaction and didn't stop to think." said Danny. He could only begin to imagine what Martin must have felt; must be feeling.

"It's my fault, all my fault, and now Martin's going to-" Samantha said, bursting into tears. She was all over the place and had no control of her emotions.

"Stupid, utterly stupid." Jack continued, his thoughts still with Martin.

Vivian looked at how upset Samantha was. "Jack, don't you think we should focus our attention on how we're going to get him back safely. You can rampage later."

Jack took a deep breath as the nurse came in to check on Samantha. "We need her to come to the F.B.I office with us." Jack stated to the nurse. "Now."

The Nurse looked at him incredulously. "Sir, she's still in shock, she's just fallen from a second storey house, it's the middle of the night and you're telling me you expect her to leave?"

"It's important. Someone's life is in danger and she's the only one that can help us." Jack said. "Look, her arm's in plaster cast already and we'll make sure she's sitting down and rests and doesn't do anything physical. Please. It's a question of life or death." Jack pleaded.

Samantha gently lowered herself into a comfortable chair in an interrogation room in the Missing Persons Unit. Her back had hurt so much when she had stood up that she had to take some pretty strong painkillers and it took all her effort to stay focussed and concentrate. Vivian, Jack and Danny sat down at the table, all armed with paper and a pen. They had a large pot of coffee in front of them. It was 3am in the morning and they had a long long day ahead.

"Sam, I need you to run through the whole thing again from the beginning. Tell us everything." Jack said.

Samantha nodded. She knew the process well. Reliving it was another thing. "It started a week ago. I was sitting in Galigo's Café over the road, alone, when a man approached me. He said his name was Richard Fadler and he sat down opposite me. Normally I would have ignored him or left but I don't know …. that day I was upset from the Kaler's case and I didn't really want to be alone. Anyway, we got talking and he said that he worked for IBM, I told him I worked in the F.B.I building."

"You told him you were an Agent?"

Sam scrunched her face up. She wouldn't come out with that information to anyone. "No, I said that I worked in reception, taking the calls. Anyway, he said he had had a hellish day at work and he didn't get on well with his colleagues. I said that I was lucky and worked well with my team."

"Did he seem interested in your work?"

"Yeah …. but not overly. It was just something to talk about." Sam sighed, rubbing her head.

"What else did you say?"

"He asked me whether I liked working in a predominantly male environment and I said it didn't bother me. Then we talked about other things like the weather and films …..At closing time, he gave me his number and asked me out to dinner. He seemed like a nice guy, very genuine so I agreed and then we went our separate ways."

"So you never told him anything about Martin or mentioned his name?" Vivian asked.

"No. I tried to get off the topic of work as soon as possible."

Vivian nodded. "Now tell us about today." Jack said.

"Well, I walked out of the building with Martin." Sam started.

"Did you notice anything unusual?" Danny interrupted.

"No, but then I was talking to Martin and not looking around."

"What were you talking about with Martin?" Jack asked.

"I don't see how that's relevant." Samantha replied. Jack raised his eyebrows. Samantha sighed. "We talked about work and then he asked me out for a drink and I told him that I couldn't because I was meeting someone."

"Did he seem disappointed by that?"

Sam frowned and looked at Jack oddly. "I guess." she shrugged.

"Okay, what next?"

"I made my way to the 'Jade Dragon' Chinese restaurant in Marley's Street. I was early so I walked around a bit. As I walked past this alley, someone grabbed me from behind and the next thing I knew I was being bundled into the back of a van."

"Marley's Street? There must have been a lot of people around?" Danny said.

"It was the north end, most offices hadn't finished for the day yet. There were a few people around who must have seen and just ignored it."

"So they'll be eyewitnesses?"

"I guess but I'm here to confirm the story. It happened just like I told you." Samantha said getting a bit ratty. She was tired and upset.

"I know you Sam, you hardly ever let your guard down, why then? Why at that moment? If you'd been fully awake then you would have seen them before they got you." Jack stated.

"I know. It's just I was preoccupied thinking of something and I guess I just drifted off into my thoughts for a minute." she said.

Jack looked at her for a moment as if debating whether to ask her what she was thinking about but seeing how close to the edge she was already, he decided to press on. "So, you're in the back of the van?"

"Yeah. There were three balaclavered men. One was driving. One was holding me down and the other had a camcorder." she stated.

"That's when they made that tape that the other Agents found in Martin's apartment?" Danny checked.

"Yeah."

"I looked over the tape." Vivian said. "I knew how it lured even an experienced Agent like Martin in. They had calculated the timing perfectly so Martin wouldn't have any time to do any research and to check whether it was a small gang or a terrorist organisation he was up against. Of course if it had been a large gang then they might have had the means and cells to monitor all of us and trace the phones. If he'd known it was just a small gang seeking vengeance against the F.B.I then he knew it would be safe to call us."

Jack nodded, turning this over in his mind. "Okay Sam, so they took you to this deserted house?"

"Yeah, they tied me up to a chair and the two henchmen kept watch – Not that I could have done anything anyway."

"The two henchmen, you know their names?"

"Rob and Henry. And 'Richard Fadler' the guy behind this …… his real name is Charles." Samantha told them.

"So you're stuck in this chair for a few hours before Martin arrives …."

"They ….." Samantha hesitated. "They touched me and stuff." she said quietly. "But Charles wouldn't let them do anything more because he didn't want the ropes loosened."

Vivian took her hand and rubbed in gently. Tears started running down Sam's face as she thought of Martin. "Charles went down to wait for Martin, Rob went off to piss somewhere ….. that was when Martin arrived. He'd climbed up the outside of the house and shot a tranquilliser dart at Henry through a broken window. Then he climbed in and cut the ropes and tape off me …." Samantha tried to contain herself but she couldn't and broke down into a flood of tears. "He-He helped me out of the window and told me to climb down the rope ………. the men had come back then."

The other three agents didn't say anything for a moment and all that could be heard was Samantha crying. Vivian handed her tissue after tissue.

"Wow. That must have taken some guts." Danny said quietly.

Jack nodded. "Very brave." he agreed. "Pity he couldn't pull it off."

Vivian looked up. "Maybe he hadn't meant to pull it off." she said. Jack and Danny looked at her. "I mean, maybe he knew that given the time restraint, it was highly unlikely that both of them would have time to climb down the rope and get away without being noticed. Maybe he knew that and still went for it so, even if he was captured, Sam would be safe."

Her words hung in the air. Samantha started crying harder.

"Okay, so you're climbing down ….?" Jack said. He knew he was pushing Sam a bit, she was already so worked up.

"And -and I heard Charles say 'Cut the rope' but it happened so fast. Next thing I knew I was falling." Sam spluttered. "I'm sorry …. that's all I can tell you." she said.

Jack nodded and leant back in his chair, giving Sam a chance to recover before they continued.

Danny fiddled with his pen nervously. "God I hope he's alright." he muttered.

Samantha took some deep breaths and tried to stop her tears. She told herself over and over that crying never helped anything.

"Okay, Sam, I just got a few more questions and then we'll go check down these leads." Jack said. Sam nodded. "I know that, given that we're all friends here, this might be a bit awkward but I need you to be straight with us. Are you and Martin seeing each other?"

Sam looked slightly shocked at the question. "No." she replied.

"Do you have any feelings for him?" Jack asked, looking at her closely.

Samantha looked uncomfortable. "No." she hesitated. "I don't think so …. I don't know. Maybe. I'm just so confused right now. I just want him back." she said crying.

"Yeah, I understand." Jack soothed. "We all want him back. And Martin, does he want to be more than just work colleagues?"

There was silence. Samantha didn't know what to say. She didn't know herself anymore. "I – I don't know….. He's always been concerned …….. I don't think he meant anything by that – he just wanted to be friends y'know. I guess he wasn't happy accepting the fact that I'm just not a very friendly person." Sam said laughing sadly. "And now …. now I've got him into this …… God I'm so stupid." she moaned, putting her head in her hands.

"Hey, hey you're not stupid." Vivian said, hugging her colleague.

Jack needed to press on, time was running out. "And today when he asked you out for drinks … what did you make of that? Was he asking you out?"

Samantha was silent for a minute. "I guess I wanted him to be." she said quietly. "He's just been so good to me recently. I just feel at easy with him ………" she trailed off.

"Martin does have feelings for Sam." Danny stated after awhile. "That's why getting her out of there meant so much to him and he acted rashly."

"He told you?"

"I guessed. I caught him staring at Sam a few times and he used to ask me-" He saw Sam blushing and laughed. "Well, what he asked isn't important but I confronted him and he admitted it."

Jack nodded. "Okay, thanks. Whatever he felt or feels for Sam … I don't know how Charles could have known about this ….. maybe he had a list of all our names and just picked one randomly. Vivian I want you to run a lead on all the Charles' that have been connected with any cases in the past few months. I've got a sneaking feeling that this is a revenge attack for putting away someone's brother or something. Danny, I want a list of all deserted houses and other such buildings in the whole of New York. Anywhere where Martin could possibly be being held."

The two Agents got to it, leaving Jack alone with Sam.

He looked at her for a moment. Her eyes were red with crying and whenever she shifted in her chair, her face crinkled up with pain.

"Sam, I want you to put any personal feelings you have for Martin away and I want you to consider this from an Agent's perspective." Jack stated. Sam looked at him unsurely. "Is it possible that Martin could be involved with all this? I mean, maybe he knew you were having dinner with Charles … maybe he was being paid to climb in the window at exactly the right moment, maybe a ransom demand is going to come in and he's going to get a healthy slice of it ……"

Samantha stared at him, more angry than upset. "I don't believe you've just suggested that." she said stonily.

"You've got to look at this objectively …. He's relatively new, seems to have had a perfect life, but who knows what he's been doing after hours, he could have become dirty …. maybe he wasn't doing it for the money …. maybe he was doing it for something else ……….jumping in there like a hero to save you … that's gotta make him look real good in your eyes hasn't it?" Jack said.

Samantha's eyes narrowed and she stood up. She wobbled, and held onto the table for balance, ignoring the burning pain. "You're sick Jack. Martin's clean and you know it. You know that he would never pull something like this. You know he had NOTHING to do with this." she inhaled deeply. "YOU need to put aside your personal feelings. I don't know what caused you to say that but if you've got a problem with what Martin and I do or don't feel for each other then be man enough and come right out and say it." Jack was silent. "Martin's out there being held hostage and it's partly my fault. Then you come up with all this shit wanting to turn me against him. How do you think that makes me feel Jack? You have no right, NO RIGHT to go around throwing those accusations when you know they're not true." she shouted, tears of anger running down her face. She sat back down, catching her breath.

"I'm sorry." Jack said. "I mean it's a possibility but I knew that it wasn't true before I said it. I just wanted you to be clear about this in your head too, if there was any doubt there and you never confronted it then it could affect your relationship – professional and otherwise – with him forever." Jack said sincerely. Sam looked calmer. "You have to believe me when I say I didn't mean what I suggested. Martin's a great guy Sam, and we're going to find him, okay?" he said taking Sam's hand in his and rubbing it a bit. Sam nodded, upset. "I want you to stay in here and rest. I'm going to go and see what we've got."

**A/N:- I hope the whole 'Martin might be involved' thing came out all right. When I wrote it, I thought that Jack was being really harsh and I hope it came across that he was just playing it up to get rid of any doubts that Sam might have had - not that he actually meant what he was implying. Okay, two more chapters left and already written ………Off to watch the DVDs now.**


	4. Escape

**Chapter Four: Escape**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the F.B.I, I just dream about them but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssssssssss._**

**A/N:- More tension and angsty Sam in this chappie. She seems to be crying an awful lot on this fic and I imagine her to be a very strong but complex woman who rarely shows her emotions (like Eowyn in LOTR….) but you have to bear in mind here she's still in shock and has the whole guilt thing going on …… The English-isms a few of you have commented on. I'm English and it's infuriatingly hard to write in American and although I know it's an American show etc., you're just going to have to ignore / put up with / mock the English-ness for now. Lol. This is really random but it just occurred to me whilst writing another fic … the reason why Sam drinks Martinis? MARTINi – gettit? I need to get out more …….. Thanks for all the lovely reviews.**

_Dedicated to:_

_Spooky Bibi, Tracy, NightMage, Alli, Klutz101, Joy, Jacks Girl, EquestrianBabe, Jtsideout389, Raspberry Muffin, SuperKelli15, Ariel3JLP_

"Found a lead on Charles." Vivian told Jack as soon as he walked into the conference room. "A Charles Slater. His brother, Ricky Slater, killed Vicky O'Sullivan, we tracked him down and locked him away for life about 3 months ago. This Charles certainly had a motive – he's close to his brother – both were in prison a while back, charged with armed robbery. He matches Sam's description of him as well. Forensics are checking fingerprints."

Jack nodded. "Sounds like we've got our man."

Danny walked into the room, looking worried. "This just came." he said, handing a videotape to Jack. They all stared at it for a moment.

"Okay, switch on the TV and close the door, let's see what we've got." Jack said heavily. He hoped that it was a ransom tape, at least that way they'd have some leads.

He took a seat next to Danny as Vivian inserted the tape. The tension was almost unbearable.

Just as Jack was about to press play, the door opened and Samantha walked in. Her broken arm was in a sling and there were dark rings around her red eyes. She usually looked pristine and immaculate with not a hair out of place, now she looked a state. "What's going on?" she asked tiredly.

Jack looked at her. "Sam, you should go home and get some rest, we'll phone you if we have any developments."

She ignored him and looked at the television. "It's a ransom tape from them, isn't it?" she questioned.

"Sam, I think you should leave it to us."

"I want to see it." Sam stated.

Vivian and Danny looked at each other unsurely. "I don't think it's a good idea-" Jack started.

"I WANT TO SEE IT." she said forcefully, slowly making her way over to a chair.

"Okay," Jack said resignedly. He could see Vivian looking at him questioningly and he knew it probably wasn't a good idea considering Sam was already worked up in such a state and they didn't know what this video contained. On the other hand he knew why Samantha needed to see it. He pressed play.

Once again the video started with a close up of Charles Slater talking to the camera.

'Morning, Agents Malone, Taylor and Johnson, did you all sleep well last night? I hope so because if you don't comply with our demands then it's the last fitless sleep you're going to have.' The camera moved away from the face and focussed on Martin. He was lying on the floor, tied and gagged and had a gash running down the side of his face. Samantha gripped onto the table. The other two balaclavered men waved at the camera and laughed before proceeding to kick Martin, in the face, in the stomach, in the head …… The camera turned back onto Charles. 'Yes, Agent Martin Fitzgerald, a friend of yours I believe? Maybe you already know about his capture- maybe you found your other Agent unconscious outside that house, maybe you don't even know that she's missing and right now the blood is draining from your faces ….. maybe you found her and it was too late to save her, who knows?

Here's our demands: you pay a ransom of 1000000 dollars. Leave the notes in a bag on the doorstep of 75 Flangton Avenue at 12pm sharp. No funny business just one unarmed man. Don't try anything stupid or heroic like Fitzgerald did. It didn't work and right now we're making him pay for it. Make a phone call to Bellemont prison. Tell them that you made a mistake and there is actually no evidence against Ricky Slater. Have him released. You know the procedure; you guys prove people innocent everyday. If you do all this, you can have your precious agent back, if not then I trust his life isn't worth that much anyway. Don't believe I'll do it?" Charles sneered, showing a gun to the camera.

"Watch this." The camera turned and focussed on Martin again. The two captors moved out the way and Charles pointed the gun at Martin's leg and fired. Everybody in the office flinched and Samantha cried out.

The camera lingered on Martin for a moment, showing him curl up in pain, tears falling down his face, blood running everywhere before fading out with his muffled screams.

Samantha sat there frozen, staring at the screen in shock. The other three looked at each other, their faces creased up with worry.

"He's going to be ok." Jack said, breaking the silence. "We'll find him and he'll be alright."

"Jack, you know if they leave him like that he could bleed to death." Vivian said quietly.

Danny looked up shocked.

Jack looked away. "They won't leave him bleeding. They want him alive. They'll tie a tourniquet under his knee to slow the blood fall." he said. Vivian and Danny looked at him unconvinced.

Just then Sam stood up. She was all pale. "I –I – I just need some air." she said, leaving the room and going out on the balcony. Jack looked at Vivian and she went and joined her.

"This must be really hard for her." Danny said.

"Yeah, if there was any other way I would have left her in hospital. This is too much for someone who's just been taken hostage and fallen from goodness knows how far up. That alone would have been traumatic enough but this on top of it…." Jack sighed and rubbed his eyes. They were all exhausted and he had to rely on his adrenaline to focus. "Danny, I want a map of Flangton Avenue and a detailed picture of the house. I'm going to notify the SWAT team that we're going to need their services. I'm not taking any chances this time."

Samantha stood out on the balcony, shivering, letting the bitter wind enfold her and keep her awake. She looked over New York. Lights scattered the horizon and a yellow cab drove here and there but the city was still asleep in these early hours. She felt numb. She couldn't believe all that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

She always came out here when she was feeling down. Only last week, Martin had seen her and had come and joined her. He hadn't said anything, he'd just leant on the railings watching the city move with her. Then he'd turned to her and gently put his hand on top of hers. "You're not alone you know." he'd told her. "I'm here if you ever need someone to lean on." She'd looked up at him and nodded and they had a 'moment.' She'd stared at him, silently wishing that she could just pour out her heart to him right then. Martin was that kind of person, a listener, she knew that he would have made her feel better. He'd looked at her, debating whether he should ask her out to dinner. "Sam," he'd started. "Do you wanna-" Just then he had been interrupted by Danny tapping on the window, having found a lead on the Kaler's case. Martin never finished saying what he had started to say. That evening she had gone to the café and met 'Richard Fadler.' The tears ran down Sam's face silently. Now Martin was somewhere on the horizon, bleeding, in agony, maybe dying because of her.

"Stop beating yourself up about it." Vivian said. Samantha jumped and turned, she hadn't realised anyone was out there with her. "It could have happened to any of us."

"No, no, I was just so stupid." she said, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I'm one of those people who hardly let their guard down and the one time ……. the one time I just talking to a random guy, THIS happens. How am I going to explain this to Martin?" she asked.

"He won't blame you Sam, he'll understand. He knows that you didn't mean any of this to happen." Vivian soothed, drawing her friend into her arms. She'd known Sam for quite sometime now and she knew that she hadn't exactly had a happy past and she'd seen how affected she was by the cases sometimes. There was a time when things had been frosty between them - when Vivian had found out about Jack and Sam's affair, she had automatically blamed Sam, believing her to be the cause of Jack's marriage problems and for seducing him. When Jack had ended things with Sam, Vivian had seen that this wasn't the case and Sam really had felt something for him. Ever since, they'd been friends and she'd kept a watchful eye on her.

"W-what if he doesn't make it? What do I tell his family? What do I tell the tribunal? What do I say to the press? It IS my fault."

"Shhhh. Sam, you got to remember that we all have choices to make. You chose to go to that restaurant yesterday and although that might not have been the right choice, Martin also made a choice last night. He chose to go it alone, he chose to risk a lot of things to get you out of there and I'm sure whatever the case he wouldn't want you sinking in all this self-hatred, self-blame. He'd want you to rest, get better, be strong, right?" Vivian said. "You've been through a lot today. Go back inside and get some sleep. Jack's going to get him out of there alive okay?"

Samantha pulled away and nodded. "Thanks." she said weakly.

Vivian watched her go and took a deep breath before going to help Danny with the preparations.

Vivian had made her feel slightly better. She was trying to be positive. She would take some painkillers and sleep so she'd have enough energy to be there with Martin when they got him out of there alive. She walked along the corridor and into the office but didn't sit down at her table. Instead she walked over to Martin's desk. She stood there looking at it for a moment.

It was still covered with papers relating to the last case they'd been working on. On top of his printer there were a couple of photo frames. One was of his parents, sisters, aunts, uncles and cousins and the other one was of him with a bunch of boys around his age, which Sam guessed were his friends from home. On his computer monitor he'd blue-tacked photos of the team. One was of the five of them at their Christmas party, all in fancy dress, another was from the interview they did for the internal F.B.I magazine and the third was of her, him and Danny at a bar. He had his arm around her and they held their drinks in their hands. They hadn't been drunk but she'd certainly been tipsy. Martin had said something and she had turned to look at him laughing, he was smiling at the camera whilst Danny had stuck his head in in the background. Samantha looked at this one for a long time and smiled sadly. Then she sat down in his chair and drifted off.

**A/N:- Will they, won't they make it in time to save Martin? Find out in the last chapter …….**


	5. Overdue

**Chapter Five: Overdue**

**_Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or the F.B.I, I just dream about them but the plot is mine, my own, my preciousssssssssssss_.**

**A/N:- Ooooh, we come at last to the last chapter. Thanks to all those who have reviewed along the way. I have a lot of new plot ideas to muse about, but I'm pretty sure which one I'm gonna follow up so look out for a new story soon**.

_Dedicated to:_

_Alli, Without A Trace Freak, Nath, Raspberry Muffin, NightMage, Spooky Bibi, EquestrianBabe, Ariel3JLP, Raven001_

Jack walked into the conference room where Vivian and Danny sat running through the plan for the rescue. "Everything ready?" he asked.

Vivian nodded. "I just briefed S.W.A.T on the details of the house and the hostage-takers. They're gonna position themselves three on one and try and remain unseen. As soon as they have Rob and Henry in range, Danny and I'll break in as they fire. We'll deal with Charles – unless of course he's in the room with Martin as well. We're going for secrecy rather than force with this one. The ambulance service has been informed as well. They've got a bed saved at the hospital."

"Okay, good. Time to get ready guys. I want you to check and double-check that your guns are loaded, you know what kind of person we're dealing with." Jack ordered as Danny and Vivian pulled on their F.B.I jackets. "I'm just going to let Sam know we're going."

Jack walked over to the office and found her fast asleep at Martin's desk. Jack smiled to himself. She seemed so peaceful and at rest now, he didn't want to wake her. He had to admit when he had first entertained the thought of Sam and Martin being a couple, he had felt protective and jealous but now, after all he'd gone through to save her, he just wanted them to be happy together. Yes, what Martin had done was foolish and stupid but at the same time very noble, brave and heroic.

He walked over to Sam and touched her gently on the shoulder. "Sam, Sam, wake up."

Samantha jumped in her chair and with her unhurt arm she gripped Jack's wrist, nervous at being touched.

"Sorry." she said, when she saw it was Jack. "I'm just a bit jumpy."

"Sam, it's 11 o'clock now and we're going to go now. I'll phone you as soon as anything happens."

Sam stood up. "I'm coming with you." she stated, grabbing her F.B.I jacket and her I.D. She felt lost without her gun.

"No Sam, I don't think it's a good idea. You're hurt and you're too personally involved with this case …." Jack started.

"Goddamit Jack, we're all personally involved with this case – he's our friend. I won't do anything stupid, I'll just be an observer." she insisted. "Come on, we need to get going." she ordered, walking out of the room.

Jack stood there for a moment. Her short sleep had obviously restored Sam to her former self. She was motivated and stubborn and Jack knew there was no arguing with her.

It was 11:50 and they had the house surrounded. Samantha sat with Jack a little way away, watching everyone's every move. "Team One Check." Jack said into his headset.

"Target in sight, range is good, green. Hostage lying on floor in between men." came the reply.

"Team Two Check."

"Aim is clear, target stationary, green. No sign of a third captor."

"Okay, good. Danny, Vivian, you ready?" Jack asked.

Danny and Vivian looked at each other. This could be the most important manoeuvre of their careers. Get this wrong and Martin would be in grave danger. Danny gave a slight nod to Vivian. "Okay Jack."

"On the count of one …. two …. three …."

The S.W.A.T team fired, Danny and Vivian kicked open the door. Vivian searched the ground floor whilst Danny covered her. No sign. They climbed up the stairs and saw Slater running up the second flight of stairs to get to Martin.

"F.B.I. FREEZE. Drop your weapons." Vivian shouted.

The suspect carried on running and Danny launched himself on him, rugby tackling him to the ground. "You're under arrest. You're not required to say anything but whatever you do say……"

"Okay, targets down." came a shout from the S.W.A.T team. Vivian climbed upstairs, whilst Danny was handcuffing the suspect.

Henry and Rob lay on the ground, dead, both shot in the back. Martin was lying near them, his leg soaked in a puddle of blood. He was pale and on the edge of unconsciousness but his eyes moved in recognition of Vivian. She bent down and removed the tape. He took in some deep breaths.

As soon as Danny brought down the suspect to the police car, Sam ran towards the house. Jack tried to stop her but she pushed him off. Her back was giving her agony and her arm in the sling was aching but somehow she found the strength to make her way up all those steps.

She walked into the room and gave a gasp and the sight of the blood and ran over to Martin where Vivian had just finished untying him before leaving them together.

Martin looked turned to look at Sam. "Hey." he said, giving her a faint smile. "You're hurt." he said, touching her broken arm. "They said you were dead ….. when you fell."

"No, no I'm fine." she said, cupping Martin's face. "God I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." she said, bursting into tears. "I was so stupid I …."

"Hey. It's not your fault Sam. Sam, I …. everything's blurry…. I .."

The paramedics came running up the stairs and took one look at Martin. "Quick, he's lost consciousness, we need to get him to hospital." one of them cried.

"Martin! Martin! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Don't let him go. Martin!" Sam shouted hysterically.

Danny restrained her and after awhile Sam relaxed and Danny cuddled her. "Shhh, shhhh. He's going to be okay, they're looking after him, he's going to be fine." he soothed like he was talking to a young child.

"So, what do you reckon's going to happen with those two?" Vivian asked, walking up to Danny and Jack, handing them a cup of coffee each as they stood by a window, looking into the room through the blinds. Martin was asleep on the hospital bed, connected to several drips and his leg was propped up. Samantha sat in a chair by his side, her head resting on the bed where she'd fallen asleep.

"Well, they're both going to have to take quite a bit of timeout and when they come back, they'll be stuck in the office for a lot of time with Martin contemplating all possible meanings of 'brave but stupid.'" Jack sighed. He hated the thought of having to work with two temps whilst his two best Agents were stuck with paperwork.

"Gees, that's a lot of time stuck in the same room alone." Danny grinned.

"Yeah, they're cute together." Vivian sighed. "What's the F.B.I's policy on Agents dating Jack?"

"I think this time I may just turn a blind eye." he smiled.

Martin opened his eyes and turned in bed, waking Sam up. "Hey, still here?" he asked.

"Yeah." she smiled then her face grew serious. "Martin, thank you for doing what you did to get me out of there." she said.

"It's okay."

"I'm so stupid …. I can't believe-"

"Shhh." Martin said, reaching up and placing his fingers against her lips. He tucked her golden hair behind her ear and rubbed his thumb against her cheek. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch. "Guess we're going to have a lot of free time on our hands." he said.

"Yeah," sighed Sam, looking at Martin. "When you get out of here, will you let me cook you dinner sometime? I'm not a great cook but I can do pasta and-"

Martin smiled. "I don't think you're going to be cooking anytime soon with that plaster cast. How about we order in a pizza and open a bottle of wine?"

"Sounds … romantic." she said quietly, a smile playing on her lips as she reached down and brushed her lips against Martin's.

**A/N:- The end …………… I was going to have more fluff at the end and have a group scene round the bed but I thought it was sweet to end it there so I'm saving the fluff for later fics. Thanks for the great response to this story, I love reading and laughing at all your reviews. Til the next fic – Toodles.**


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